Lesson 3-1
Mr. Green gives Ben a seed. P
"What is it?" asks Ben. P
"Plant it and see," says Mr. Green. P
Ben puts soil in a big pot. P
He plants the seed in the pot. P
He waters it every three days. P
He waits and waits. P
One day, a little leaf comes out. P
It grows and has a bright yellow head. P
Finally, the flower blooms. P
"I know you," Ben whispers. P
Ben's sunflower waves at him. P
Lesson 3-2
A strange plant grows in Jack's room. P
It has thin hair on its leaves. P
"Don't touch it," says Jack. P
"You're a bad brother," I say. P
One day, I am home alone. P
I go to look at Jack's plant. P
Buzz. There is a fly in his room. P
It sits on the plant. P
Snap! The plant swallows the fly. P
"Ah! It's a monster plant!" I shout. P
I run out of Jack's room. P
Lesson 3-3
Grandpa and I walk in the woods. P
Grandpa points to a tree stump. P
"Let's take a rest here," he says. P
We sit on the stump. P
"How old is this tree?" asks Grandpa. P
"I don't know," I say. P
"Count the tree rings," says Grandpa. P
The tree has thirty rings. P
"It is thirty years old," says Grandpa. P
I touch Grandpa's wrinkles. P
"Are these your rings, Grandpa?" I ask. P
Grandpa laughs. P
Lesson 3-4
This is a plant. P
Its roots are in the soil. P
Its stem stands tall. P
Leaves, flowers and fruit grow on its stem. P
Can you make food in your body? P
A plant can make food in its leaves! P
They need water, minerals, sunlight, and air. P
Water comes up from the roots. P
Minerals in the soil come up, too. P
Sunlight shines on the leaves. P
And the leaves breathe in air. P
Lesson 3-5
Dave's family is lost in a pyramid. P
They walk around and around. P
"Look, a door!" shouts Dad. P
They push the door, but it won't open. P
"Are you lost?" asks a voice. P
"Yes, please help us!" says Dave. P
"You must answer my riddle," says the voice. P
"I have a man's head and a lion's body. P
What am I?" P
"You're a sphinx!" says Dave. P
The door slides open. P
"Smart boy," says the sphinx. P
Lesson 3-6
It is a sunny day in Kenya. P
The jeep drives around the safari park. P
A big lion sleeps in the sun. P
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" I shout. P
"Look over there," says the guide. P
A leopard runs in the field. P
"Wow! It's fast!" I say. P
"Do you want to race it?" asks the guide. P
"Can we?" I ask. P
Vroom! The jeep goes faster. P
Look out, leopard! Here we come! P
Lesson 3-7
Greg reads a book about vampires. P
He falls asleep at the desk. P
He is in a castle in Romania. P
He sees a bat in the dark. P
The bat flies closer and closer. P
Poof! It becomes Dracula. P
"Welcome to my home," he says. P
He has big scary fangs. P
"Help!" Greg shouts and runs very fast. P
Dracula comes closer and closer. P
Just then, Greg opens his eyes. P
Whew! What a dream! P
Lesson 3-8
What is the smallest country in the world? P
Here's a hint. It is inside Italy. P
Right, it's Vatican City. P
Vatican City is in Rome, Italy. P
It sure is a small country. P
But there are many things to see. P
Come to Saint Paul's Cathedral. P
Don't miss the Vatican Museums. P
There are famous paintings and statues. P
You can also meet the Pope. P
The Pope lives in Vatican City. P
Vatican City is small but great. P
Lesson 3-9
Nate and Nina are in the garden. P
Min-min-min-mii. P
"What insect is that?" asks Nate. P
Nina has a magnifying glass. P
"Let's find out," she says. P
Nate sees ants and worms. P
Nina sees a ladybug. P
But they are all quiet. P
"Look! Up in the tree!" says Nate. P
There is a cicada with large wings. P
Min-min-min-mii. P
"There you are!" cry Nate and Nina. P
Lesson 3-10
Carl the caterpillar comes out of his egg. P
"I'm so hungry!" he says. . P
Nibble, nibble. He eats many leaves. P
Carl grows and grows. P
"My skin is tight," he says P
Wiggle, wiggle. He crawls out of his skin. P
"I'm sleepy now," says Carl. P
He falls asleep on a branch. P
A cocoon covers him. P
He is warm and safe in there. P
One day, Carl wakes up. P
Now, he is Carl the butterfly. P
Lesson 3-11
Beetle meets Spider. P
"I'm an insect. Are you an insect, too?" he asks. P
"Hmm. Look at us," says Spider. P
"You have three body parts but I have two. P
You have six legs but I have eight. P
You have two antennas but I have none." P
"You are not an insect," says Beetle. P
"No, but I like insects very much," says Spider. P
Spider comes towards Beetle. P
Scared, Beetle runs away. P
Lesson 3-12
A boy lived in a small town in France. P
His name was Jean-Henri Fabre. P
Fabre was interested in insects. P
He had many questions about them. P
How does a bumble-bee sting? P
What does a moth eat? P
How does a cricket make a sound? P
Fabre watched insects and studied them. P
He became an insect scientist. P
He wrote books about insects. P
His books became very famous. P
Insects were Fabre's friends all his life. P
Lesson 3-13
There is a yard sale today. P
Mom puts old things in a basket. P
"Not my train set!" shouts Jeff. P
"But you don't play with it now," says Mom. P
"Not my baseball mitt!" shouts Jeff. P
"But it is too small now," says Mom. P
Then, a little boy comes to the sale. P
"I want this train set," he says. P
Mom looks at Jeff. P
"No, it's …. Okay, here it is," says Jeff. P
Mom and Jeff smile at each other. P
Lesson 3-14
Megan grows pumpkins with her grandpa. P
Today, they are at the pumpkin contest. P
There are too many giant pumpkins! P
Whose pumpkin is the biggest? P
Finally, the judge shouts to people. P
"The champion pumpkin grower is Megan! P
Megan's pumpkin is the biggest!" P
"We did it, Grandpa!" Megan shouts. P
A man comes to Megan and says, P
"I want to buy your pumpkin." P
"Sure, but there is a problem," says Megan. P
"Your car is too small for our pumpkin!" P
Lesson 3-15
Julie and I are at a world food fair. P
We look around and taste the foods. P
Mmm, Turkey kebab is delicious," says Julie. P
Just then, we smell something sweet. P
We follow the smell and stop at a booth. P
"Look! That is a big waffle!" I say. P
There is ice cream and fruit on it. P
"Come and try our waffles," says a woman. P
We eat a Belgium waffle and eat and eat. P
The woman says with big eyes. P
"You have giant stomachs." P
Lesson 3-16
There was an Italian explorer. P
His name was Marco Polo. P
One day, he went to China. P
He saw many kites there. P
They looked very exciting. P
Some kites looked like birds. P
Some kites looked like dragons. P
He learned how to build kites. P
He went home and told people about kites. P
People began to build kites. P
They flew them up in the sky. P
Kites became popular around the world. P
Lesson 3-17
Ben, do you see the stars over there? P
It's the Milky Way. P
Here's the story about the Milky Way. P
A long time ago, Zeus was the king of the gods. P
Hera was his wife. P
Zeus had a son, Heracles. But he was not Hera's son. P
Heracles drank Hera's milk while she slept. P
Hera woke up and got very angry. P
She pushed him away. P
The milk spilled all over the sky. P
It became the Milky Way. P
Lesson 3-18
I have a special friend. P
I can see her only on sunny days. P
In the morning, she's long. At noon, she's short. P
Late in the day, she grows long again. P
She follows me everywhere. P
She doesn't say a word to me. P
She's all black! P
Can you guess who she is? P
That's right! It's my shadow. P
The sunlight makes her. P
Let's block the sunlight. P
You can see your shadow, too. P
Lesson 3-19
Dear someone on Earth, P
Hi, my name is SOFM-09. I live on Mars. P
It's faraway from the Earth. P
I want to make good friends. P
I have a big head. My eyes are huge. P
My fingers are long. I love flying my plane in space. P
Tell me about you. SOFM-09 P
Dear SOFM-09, Hi, my name is Nick. P
I live in London. I love playing soccer. P
Please come visit me someday. P
I'll teach you soccer. I'm tall. P
I have small eyes and a nose. P
Here is my picture. Nick P
Lesson 3-20
Astronauts' life is interesting. P
They live in a spaceship. P
It's not large inside. P
They do everything in there. P
They eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. P
Sometimes they work outside, too. P
They wear special clothes. P
They wear a spacesuit, a helmet, visors, gloves, and boots. P
These clothes protect astronauts' bodies. P
They do some tests on the Moon or Mars. P
Hoping to find new life in space! P
Lesson 3-21
Patty is worried about her new school. P
She has no friends there. P
She gets on the yellow school bus. P
A girl greets Patty on the bus. P
"You are new at my school, right?" she says. P
"My name is Lisa. What's your name?" Lisa says. P
"I'm Patty. I'm in Miss Pine's class." P
"Oh, I know her. She is very kind. You're lucky," Lisa says. P
She talks to Patty about Miss Pine and the school. P
Now Patty has a new friend at her new school. P
Lesson 3-22
Mindy likes to play with friends at lunch break. P
Mindy and her friends play tag on the playground today. P
Mindy is "it." She closes her eyes and counts. P
"One, two, three, four … twenty!" P
Mindy opens here yes and sees one friend. She runs very fast. P
But she alls over and hurts her knee. P
The school nurse gives Mindy a band-aid. P
Mindy feels pain in her knee. P
But she wants to play tag again. P
Playing tag is very fun! P
Lesson 3-23
Dave is so thirsty and drinks a lot of water at recess . P
Soon the bell rings for class. The class starts. P
Suddenly Dave wants to use the bathroom. P
So he can't pay attention to the teacher. P
He raises his hand in class. P
"Ms. Jones, may I use the bathroom, please?" he asks P
.Ms. Jones looks at Dave's face. His face is turning blue! She smiles and says, P
"Yes, you may use the bathroom." P
Dave runs quickly to the bathroom. P
Lesson 3-24
Many schools hold a school bazaar every year . P
Children collect old clothes, books, toys, and even games. P
Each class can have a stall. P
They put price tags on everything. P
Parents come and help out. P
They also sell home-made food. P
Everything is very cheap. P
People can buy a lot of things with a little bit of money. P
Many people come early and the market quickly becomes crowded. P
It's a fun day for everyone. P
Lesson 3-25
I'm staying at Grandma's farm for the summer holidays. P
My grandma is a good farmer. P
She has a nice green garden. P
She plants different seeds every spring. P
She waters the seeds and helps them grow. P
Then she can pick her plants in summer. P
She picks some lettuce, carrots and tomatoes for us. P
Then our dinner table is full of vegetables. P
I love Grandma's garden best in summer. P
Lesson 3-26
Justin squeezes lemons and says, P
"Pass me the sugar, please." P
Tom passes a white bottle to Justin. P
Inside the bottle is white powder. P
Justin puts the white powder in the water. P
Then he adds the lemon juice to the water. P
Tom puts some ice in his glass. P
"Let's try it, "Tom says. P
He drinks it and frowns. P
"What's wrong?"asks Justin. P
"It doesn't taste sweet," Tom says, P
"That's salt, not sugar." P
Lesson 3-27
Mr. and Mrs. Lee live in New York. P
They are famous Korean-American chefs. P
They run a Korean restaurant. P
The restaurant is not so big. P
But it is good and nice. P
Many people visit the restaurant in the evening. P
Some food is hot and spicy. P
But they like the Korean food. P
Some Americans are learning how to cook Korean food. P
Now bulgogi and kimchi are popular foods in America. P
Lesson 3-28
Wangfujing Street is a famous shopping street in Beijing. P
The Wangfujing Night Market is very busy. P
It is full of people and stalls. P
The sellers line up the stalls in a row. P
They sell many kinds of street foods. P
There are fried foods on sticks - insects, scorpions, eahorses, and starfish. P
There are lamb kebabs on sticks, too. P
Candied fruits are famous desserts on this street. P
You can taste new food there. P
Lesson 3-29
Cathy is an eleven-year-old girl. P
She wants a pet. P
Most children want a dog or a cat. P
But she wants a pet snake. P
Snakes need care like any other pet. P
Cathy starts reading about snakes. P
She visits other snake handlers. P
Snakes must eat small animals like ats. P
Cathy needs a freezer with dead rats. P
And she needs some space for a snake, too. P
Now she's ready. P
Oh, a little pretty snake is waiting for Cathy! P
Lesson 3-30
"Today we have a new family member," says Mom. P
"Do you have a baby?" asks my sister. P
At that moment, the door opens and Dad comes in. P
He has a box in his hands. P
My sister and I run to him and open the box quickly. P
There is a cute little puppy inside the box. P
The puppy has brown fur. P
It is looking at us and wagging its tail. P
"Come on!" My sister cuddles the puppy. P
We are so happy to have a new family member. P
Lesson 3-31
It's the day for Oscar's health check-up. Oscar is a very old dog. P
Every year, I take Oscar to the vet downtown. P
The vet is friendly. She knows about Oscar very well. P
First, she asks a few questions about Oscar's health. P
Then she takes a look at his body. P
After a few tests, she says, "Oscar is fine." P
On the way home, I whisper to Oscar, P
"Please stay with me for a long, long time. You're my best friend." P
Lesson 3-32
The sloth is an unusual and interesting animal. It is very slow. P
The sloth got its name from its slow movement. P
But it is not lazy, just slow-moving. It also sleeps all day. P
It sleeps about 15 to 18 hours a day. P
But it is very active at night. P
The sloth lives in trees all the time. P
It hangs upside down. P
It eats, sleeps and gives birth in trees. P
It spends most of its life upside-down in trees. P
Lesson 3-33
It's a hot summer day. Sam plays with his friends outside. P
Suddenly it gets dark. There are large dark clouds in the sky. P
It starts to rain. There is thunder, too. P
Sam is surprised by the thunder. P
He scream sand runs into his house. P
He looks out of the window. P
Winds blow hard and spin in the clouds. P
The winds are really fast. Trees shake. P
It rains harder and harder. P
What is happening? It is a big storm! P
Lesson 3-34
Akna lives in a very cold place. P
It is covered with snow and ice. P
So there are few plants. P
Akna's family lives in an igloo in winter. P
Her father fishes and hunts sea animals - seals, walruses or whales. P
Her mother makes clothes and boots with the animal skins. P
Akna likes to ride a sled. P
Dogs pull her sled fast across the snow. P
It's too cold, but she doesn't stop playing in the snow. P
Lesson 3-35
Alex is a weather reporter for today. P
He has to report weather conditions to the class. P
So he was very busy this week. P
He read the newspapers and watched the weather forecast on TV. P
He searched Internet weather sites. P
He also made a weather map. P
He put the weather symbols and temperatures on it. P
Now he knows the weather for the next two days. P
He is ready to be a weather reporter! P
Lesson 3-36
Deserts have lots and lots of sand. P
It rains just a little bit. P
In the daytime, the desert is very hot. P
It can be 48˚C. But it is cold at night. P
It may go down to 15˚C. P
So people in deserts have to wear their clothes carefully. P
They wear long robes, headgear and veils. P
These clothes protect their skin from the hot sun in the daytime. P
Veils protect the nose and the mouth from the sand, too. P
The clothes also keep the people warm at night. P
Lesson 3-37
Dear Jenny, How are you doing? P
Christmas is getting close. P
Christmas is in the summer time here in Australia. P
Sound a little strange? Christmas here is never white. It never snows. P
But we have Christmas trees and carols. P
The big event here is Carols by Candlelight. P
It is a series of outdoor concerts. P
We also have family gatherings in our back yards, in parks or on beaches. P
We sit on blankets and talk or sing Christmas carols. P
Merry Christmas! Your Best Friend, Brodie P
Lesson 3-38
Mr. Ford was at the Dirtiest Car Contest. He had an old car. P
His car was very smelly and dirty, too. P
He didn't wash or clean his car for a few months. P
The car was full of thick dirt. Judges checked his car. P
They looked at the inside and outside of the car. P
Mr. Ford's car was the dirtiest in the contest. P
Mr. Ford won first prize. The Fords were very happy. P
But his family didn't want to get in the car on the way home. P
Lesson 3-39
My parents work in orange fields. P
Today was my first day of orange picking. P
We started to work early in the morning. P
First, my dad climbed the trees and picked the oranges up high. P
He just dropped them to the ground. P
Then I put them in buckets. My mom put them into large sacks. P
We worked until late afternoon. P
I didn't know that orange picking is hard work. P
I was tired but happy to help my parents. P
Lesson 3-40
In China, New Year starts with a new moon. P
People celebrate the Chinese New Year for 15 days. P
They clean their house and buy new clothes. P
These things mean a new life and new beginnings. P
On New Year's Eve, the sky is filled with fireworks at midnight. P
The noise drives away all the evil spirits. P
The next morning the people give gifts to each other. P
They give children red envelopes with "lucky money." P
They believe that it brings good fortune. P
Lesson 3-41
"Mattie, let's go up into the attic," said Merrill. P
Mattie and Merrill climbed the creaky stairs. P
"Be careful. We might fall," said Mattie. P
There was a very old trunk in the attic. P
It was covered in dust. P
Mattie opened it and took out a very old-fashioned hat. P
Next to it was a picture of a little girl. P
She dusted both the hat and picture off. P
"Who is that? I've never seen her before," said Merrill. P
"Look at her carefully. Doesn't she look like you?" Mattie asked Merrill. P
"No, she looks like Mom!" Merrill shouted. P
They took the picture and hat downstairs. P
"Is this you, Mom?" asked Merrill. P
"No, it's not me," their mom answered. P
"Look at that lovely smile. P
Look how beautiful her eyes are. P
We look alike. Now, do you know who she is?" P
"Grandma?" Merrill and Mattie shouted in chorus. P
"Yes. This hat was your grandma's. P
She gave it to me 20 years ago, but I never wore it," their mom said. P
"It's a beautiful hat, Mom," Mattie said. P
"Now it belongs to both of you," their mom responded. P
"You two deserve to have it." P
"Thank you, Mom," the girls said. P
"You're both welcome. I'll have it cleaned tomorrow," their mom said. P
They looked forward to wearing their "new" old hat. P
Lesson 3-42
What do you collect? P
Do you collect comic books or baseball cards? P
How old are they? They might be worth more than 1 million dollars. P
Some collectors get rich, if they get lucky. P
Some often become experts on their collection. P
Alex Lee is known as Dr. Comics. P
"I'm a big fan of Batman," he says. P
Alex is only 14. His brother Andy is 11. P
Together, they have collected over 1,000 comic books in just 2 years. P
"My most valuable comic book is worth $750.00," says Alex. P
Another young collector, Joshua Greene, is 13. P
He likes photography, so he collects cameras. P
He has nearly 30 of them. P
His favorites are instant cameras from the 1970s and 80s. P
He visits garage sales to find old, yet good cameras. P
One day, his cameras might be worth millions of dollars as well. P
What things can you collect that could be worth a lot some day? P
How about coins or stamps? P
Think of something you can make a collector's item. P
If you cannot find valuable things now, don't worry. P
Start by collecting the things you like. P
They can be old dolls, books, stuffed animals, or rocks. P
Collect them long enough, and they might become valuable. P
All you need is a little patience. P
Lesson 3-43
Steven and Mary are best friends. P
They live next door to each other. P
Yesterday they were talking in the classroom when Mr. Jones, their teacher, came in. P
"Please put away all your books. You are going to have a pop-quiz," he said. P
Steven's jaw dropped in surprise. P
The students whispered to one another. P
Mr. Jones handed out quizzes. P
When Steven got his, he was nervous. His heart raced. P
"There will be no talking and no cheating," Mr. Jones said. P
"You have only 20 minutes. Begin…now!" P
Steven read the first question. P
It seemed extremely difficult. P
He began to sweat. The room felt hot suddenly. P
He looked around the classroom. P
All the other students were writing. P
Steven looked at Mary. She smiled at him. P
He returned her smile. He looked at the second question. P
It didn't seem difficult. All the others were easy. P
He looked at the first question again, and it wasn't difficult anymore. P
With five minutes left, Steven went over his answers. P
He found an error and corrected it. P
Then the bell rang. Time was up. P
Everyone submitted their quizzes and left. P
"That was horrible!" said Mary. "I hate pop-quizzes." P
"Me, too! But anyway, I'm glad it's over," replied Steven. P
"Let's have lunch…my treat!" P
Lesson 3-44
1. Tina bounced a ball 7 times. P
May bounced the same ball 5 times. P
How many more times did Tina bounce the ball? P
2. A chef put 12 eggs in a basket. P
He took 3 and put them in the fridge. P
Later, he put another 3 in the fridge. P
How many eggs are left in the basket? P
3. Tess invited 12 friends to her birthday party. P
3 friends got sick and couldn't come to the party. P
How many friends came to the party? P
4. Sylvie has a die. P
4 sides of the die are orange. 2 are green. P
Which of the two colors will the die most likely land on if she rolls the die? P
5. The Thompson Gallery has 621 photographs. P
The same number of photographs is displayed in 3 different rooms. P
How many are displayed in each room? P
Jeremy got his test paper back. P
He scored very poorly on it. P
He knew he was not good at math. P
He felt very sad because he did not know what to do. P
Jeremy was supposed to meet with Miss Gordon, his teacher. P
He was very nervous. P
He knocked on the door of Miss Gordon's office. P
Miss Gordon was happy to see him. P
She handed him a CD entitled Math Games. P
Then, she told him that this video game would help him enjoy math. P
Jeremy thanked her and left her office. P
He loved video games. P
He thought this would be a good way to like math. P
Lesson 3-45
Jonathan lives in Florida with his parents. P
His best friend, Suzie, is a dog. P
Suzie is with Jonathan almost all the time. P
Jonathan was born with weak eyes and ears. P
He can't walk very well. P
He wears a hearing aid. P
Suzie is specially trained to help him get around. P
She is always side by side with Jonathan. P
Before Jonathan met Suzie, he had no friends. P
He didn't have any siblings. P
He could not go outside by himself because he always needed help. P
He was always very lonely. P
Jonathan got Suzie on his fifth birthday. P
He patted her on the back and Suzie wagged her tail. P
Soon, they became best friends. P
Since that first meeting, Suzie has always helped Jonathan. P
They go everywhere together. P
When they go to school, Suzie opens the door for him. P
She also carries his backpack. P
If Jonathan falls, she helps him stand up. P
She is trained to be quiet and still at the right times. P
At school, Suzie rests under Jonathan's desk until it's time to go home. P
She takes instructions only from Jonathan. P
She never takes food from strangers or wags her tail for them. P
Jonathan always has Suzie's total attention. P
Thanks to Suzie, Jonathan can do a lot more now. P
Jonathan is no longer a lonely boy. P
They are a great team! P
Lesson 3-46
Some people have hearing problems, some have speaking problems, and others have both. P
Even so, they still have the ability to communicate. P
They use sign language. P
They use their hands and arms to make signs or words. P
If you can understand sign language, you can understand what they are saying. P
Sign language is easy to learn. P
You use your fingers to make the letters of the alphabet. P
This is called finger spelling. P
Some signs are easy to learn. P
For example, to say "boy," you pretend you are grabbing the brim of a baseball cap. P
For "girl," you place the tip of your thumb on your cheek and move it toward your chin. P
To say "dog," pat your legs and snap your fingers. P
To say "cat," you close your index finger and thumb together as you brush them away from your cheek. P
It's like you're stroking a cat's whiskers. P
Sign language is understood all over the world. P
However, people use different types of sign language in different countries. P
You need to learn them like learning a spoken language. P
Most libraries have books with drawings that show how to sign. P
You can also learn sign language at schools. P
There are more than 1,000 signs you can learn. P
It takes a lot of time to learn all the rules, but it is not difficult. P
Learning sign language is useful and helpful to both you and to someone who can't hear or speak. P
Lesson 3-47
February 13, 2014 P
Hi Danny! I hope that you are doing well. P
It is freezing up here in Alaska. P
I wear my boots and my overcoat to stay warm. P
The enclosed picture is of Katmai Mountain. P
I took this picture when I went hiking yesterday. P
As you can see, it is covered with snow. P
On that mountain there is an active volcano. P
I live in Anchorage, Alaska. P
There are mountains all around the city. P
Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. P
About 298,000 people live in the city. P
Its nickname is "The City of Lights and Flowers." P
Thousands of buildings are lit by tiny white lights during the winter. P
In summer, there are many beautiful flowers. P
They make the city look very pretty. P
Anchorage is also the business center of Alaska. P
Most air travelers enter Alaska via the city's main airport. P
I miss you, Danny. P
Why don't you come visit me during your vacation? P
There are many places to go here. P
There is a place such as H2Oasis- an indoor waterpark. P
There are also nice slopes where you can ski. P
You can also see a lot of wildlife like moose, black bears, and brown bears at Chugach State Park. P
I hope this letter arrives at your house quickly. P
I also hope you enjoy the photo. P
I look forward to seeing the whole family. Love, Uncle John P
Lesson 3-48
Sending and receiving postcards is a fun activity. P
You can send postcards to any country in the world. P
Here is how: First, select a postcard of your choice. P
Second, write a message to the person you are sending it to. P
Write their name and address on the back of the postcard. P
Third, put the right amount of stamps on it. P
You are not finished yet. P
This is only the beginning. P
Next, choose a way to mail it. P
If the mail carrier comes to your home, place it in the roadside mailbox and raise the red "flag." P
The mail carrier will take it to the post office. P
If you live close to the post office, you can take it there yourself. P
If, however, you live in a large city, there are mail boxes on many street corners. P
You can put the postcard in one of those boxes. P
Your postcard goes to a central post office. P
There, it is sorted by its zip code, state, and city. P
Then, it is put into a tray with other mail. P
Again, it is sorted and put into a mail carrier's bag or van. P
Finally, the mail carrier delivers your postcard to the right address. P
Remember that it takes more time for a card to travel from one country to another. P
Sometimes, it takes more than ten days, but it always gets there. P
Lesson 3-49
The Cheetahs were in the championship game against the Hounds. P
The score was tied at 3:3. P
They were into the final five minutes of overtime. P
Tom, Kate, Bill, May, and Emmett played for the Cheetahs. P
Bill kicked the ball down the field. P
Kate passed to Tom. P
Tom took a hard shot, but the Hounds' goalkeeper blocked it. P
He kicked the ball down the field. P
Kate took the ball away, but quickly lost it. P
The Hounds took a hard shot to the right corner of the goal. P
Emmett, the Cheetahs' goalkeeper, jumped but couldn't get to it. P
Goal! The score was 4:3 for the Hounds. P
The Cheetahs were disappointed. P
Then, Tom kicked the ball straight to Kate. P
She received the pass. P
A Hounds' player took it away from her and passed it, but Bill was there. P
Bill headed the ball into the net. P
Goal! The score was tied again. P
The Cheetahs were excited. P
Two minutes were left in the game. P
The Hounds moved the ball quickly and took a good hard shot. P
However, Emmett was better at goal keeping. P
He kicked the ball very hard. P
May stopped the ball. P
She passed to Tom and he passed to Kate. P
Kate took a hard shot. P
The ball went into the net. P
Goal! The goalkeeper couldn't get to the ball. P
The buzzer sounded. P
Game over! The Cheetahs won. P
They celebrated their championship win! P
Lesson 3-50
Ali Bruce is an excellent basketball coach in Texas. P
He leads 11 young players between the ages of 9 and 11. P
Coach Bruce has only one goal: victory. P
In order to win, he teaches them one important thing - teamwork. P
Only five players play on the court in a game. P
Players try hard to play their positions well, but they also work hard together as a team. P
Coach Bruce thinks passing the ball is very important because good passes score goals. P
He always reminds them by shouting "Teamwork works!" P
During spring and summer, the players attend basketball camps. P
There, they receive special training. P
They practice for five hours a day at camp. P
They run, play, eat, sleep, and do everything together. P
Coach Bruce usually picks a leader from the group. P
The leader is most often the oldest, but age is not the only thing he looks for. P
He says, "A team needs a leader who strengthens players. P
A good leader should be wise and responsible." P
He believes that excellent is the most important part of excellent. P
"A good leader must also get along well with the players," he often says. P
"Good teamwork makes good teams. P
Good teams win championships. P
I like good teams," he often says. P
Lesson 3-51
All things are made of matter. P
Matter is anything that takes up space. P
Look around at the things in your classroom. P
They are all made of matter. P
You are made of matter, too. P
Matter appears in three different states: solid, liquid, and gas. P
Like all matter, solids take up space and have mass. P
Only solid matter has a shape of its own. P
A pencil and an eraser are both solids. P
Look around you and find things that are solids. P
Liquid is another state of matter. P
It takes up space and has mass. P
However, it can change shape but not by itself. P
In fact, liquids take the shape of the container they are in. P
The containers could be a glass, cup, bowl, or vase. P
Milk, juice, and water are all liquids. P
If you pour a liquid from a tall glass into a round pot, what shape will it take? P
The third state of matter is gas. P
It takes up space and has mass, but it does not have a shape of its own. P
Gas changes shape and size when it spreads out. P
Air is made up of gases. P
You cannot see or taste it, but you can sometimes smell it. P
Air is everywhere. P
It can fill up a balloon. P
What will happen to the air in a balloon if it pops? P
Lesson 3-52
Dad hung a small white object on the wall. P
"What is that?" I asked. P
"It's a mothball, Cindy. P
There is a chemical inside called naphthalene. P
It keeps bad smells away," he responded. P
Days later, I looked and saw nothing in the mothball. P
"Where is the naphthalene? Did Kitty eat it?" I thought. P
I couldn't find Kitty. I was worried. P
"Dad, I think Kitty ate the naphthalene. P
She is probably sick somewhere," I said in tears. P
"Oh, dear! Don't cry. P
Kitty couldn't reach it on the wall. P
Besides, naphthalene dissolves naturally," he said. P
"Naturally?" I responded. P
"Yes. The naphthalene became gas. P
It's called sublimation. P
Let me show you something," he said. P
He brought some ice cubes from the fridge and started heating them in a pan. P
"Cindy, watch what happens," he pointed at the ice cubes. P
"They melted and became water," I said quietly. P
"Yes. If you continue heating the water, it will dry out," he responded. P
"The water is gone! It became a gas. P
That's interesting!" I said. P
"It's called evaporation. P
If you leave a glass of water open, the same thing happens. P
Do you know water can become a solid, too?" he asked. P
"Um, if I leave water in the freezer, it will get frozen and become ice. P
The water will become a solid!" I snapped my fingers. P
"That's right, Cindy! As you see, matter can change states," he said. P
"Thanks Dad. I learned something new today," I responded. P
Just then, Kitty came into the room. P
I ran and hugged Kitty. P
"Where were you, Kitty? I was worried about you," I said. P
"I'm so happy you didn't eat the naphthalene after all." P
Lesson 3-53
July 7, 2014 P
Today, my friend Pat and I arrived in Korea to visit my aunt. P
She teaches English in Daejeon. P
We do not speak any Korean, but some nice people helped us find a bus from Seoul to Daejeon. P
They also helped us to get off at the right stop. P
July 8, 2014 P
This morning we traveled to Namwon. P
We got to see a lot of Korea's beauty on this trip. P
We ate traditional Korean food. P
It was very different from Western food. P
Most of the food was very good, but I especially liked Bibimbap. P
After lunch, we drove up Jiri Mountain. P
My aunt's car broke down halfway. P
My uncle opened the hood to examine the engine. P
He was able to fix it. P
We were happy to make it all the way to the top of the mountain. P
It was a beautiful place with a breathtaking view. P
July 9, 2014 P
Last night, we slept in a hotel room with an ondol floor for the first time. P
It was an amazing experience. P
After breakfast, we went to a bathhouse. P
It was my first time in a public bathhouse. P
I was nervous at first, but I soon became comfortable. P
It was a very relaxing place. P
I especially liked the outdoor baths. P
After that, we visited Hwa-Eom temple. P
It was my first visit to a Buddhist temple. P
The history of the temple was interesting. P
July 10, 2014 P
We traveled back to Seoul today. P
What an enormous city! P
We went shopping in Itaewon and Insa-dong. P
We bought clothes and souvenirs in both places. P
Now we are on a plane heading home to Canada. P
We will never forget this wonderful visit. P
Lesson 3-54
Sally and I were going to Paris from Italy with a Eurail pass. P
We were both excited about Paris. P
It takes about ten hours, so we decided to go by EuroNight. P
We got on the train. P
I had the window seat, and Sally had the seat next to the aisle. P
We discussed our plans for Paris. P
"We have five days in Paris," said Sally. P
"We must visit the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre." P
"Yeah, but I want to eat French cheese with baguettes! I can't wait!" I replied. P
"Peter, is that how you want to spend your time in Paris? Eating?" Sally laughed. P
A boy approached me. "Excuse me, I think you are sitting in my seat," he said. P
"Could you please show me your ticket?" Sally asked politely. P
He showed us his ticket, and Sally compared it with mine. P
"Well, the seat numbers on the tickets are the same, but the carriage numbers are different. P
You are in Carriage 1. This is Carriage 2," said Sally. P
"I'm sorry," the boy said. He blushed on his way to his carriage. P
The ride was smooth and comfortable. P
We entered a tunnel. P
Then there was a sudden stop. P
"What's wrong?" I asked. P
"I don't know," Sally responded. P
The train conductor walked down the aisle. P
"Don't worry, everyone. P
There are some sheep crossing the tracks ahead of the tunnel. P
We'll be moving shortly," he said. P
Everything turned out okay. P
The train continued on its journey. P
Finally, we went back to our planning. P
Lesson 3-55
Dear Maggie, I am on vacation in Cancun, Mexico with my family. P
We are staying in a lovely hotel called The Dream Cancun. P
I share a room with my sister, Mimi. P
There are two double beds in our enormous room. P
It's almost like I have my own bedroom. P
I sleep soundly every night. P
The hotel even has a large swimming pool. P
We use it when we feel like a night swim. P
From our room, we have an ocean view. P
I hear the waves day and night. P
We've done many exciting things here in Mexico. P
Today, we swam in the ocean. P
After that, we rode on a pirate ship. P
On the ship, we pretended to shoot cannons at another ship. P
It was really fun. P
Yesterday, we took a glass-bottomed boat to view the coral reefs. P
They were so beautiful. P
It was very early, so we had breakfast on the boat. P
Then we went on a bus tour. P
We traveled to a ruined Mayan city. P
There was a huge pyramid. P
I climbed to the top of it. P
Tomorrow, we will go on another boat trip. P
We will go to a cave. P
I've heard that there is a river inside the cave. P
I hope to swim in it. P
Well Maggie, I have to go now. P
I am going to sit by the ocean and watch the sunset. P
I'll take pictures. P
Check my blog if you'd like to see them. P
All the best to you, Your friend, Gina P
Lesson 3-56
Mexican menus offer a wide variety of dishes. P
There are so many items to choose from, it's difficult to decide what to eat. P
For breakfast, there is a burrito with cheddar cheese and Mexican salsa. P
There is also an omelet made with fresh eggs. P
It also comes with cheddar cheese and Mexican salsa, but it has chili sauce on top. P
If you like tortillas, there is a choice between flour or corn tortillas. P
They are served with rice and beans. P
The lunch menu is larger. P
There is a corn or flour tortilla filled with cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, meat, and avocado. P
It is called a taco. P
There is a wide choice of tacos. P
How about a hot beef sausage taco or a taco with avocado, potatoes, cheese, and sour cream? P
They are all-time favorites. P
In the afternoon, there are always lots of snacks. P
One that many people like is nachos. P
They taste so good with beans, cheese sauce, peppers, black olives, sour cream, avocado, and tomatoes. P
You can also have a flour tortilla with cheese served with avocado and tomatoes. P
That is called a quesadilla. P
When tortillas are made with ham, they are called sincronizadas. P
However, Mexican corn chips by themselves are the best. P
Start dinner with a nice green salad of apples and nuts with mango dressing. P
Finish the meal with a hot hominy and pork soup. P
Mexican food is really good! P
It's especially delicious for dinner after you've had a nap. P
Remember, though, it's very spicy! P